tonight on "world news." fighting back. presidential candidate mitt romney out today trying to turn the tide after the secret tapes rocked his campaign. but also tonight, brand-new poll numbers that may signal new trouble for him. hidden risk. we have more tonight on the major warning from consumer reports about rice and arsenic. how they say you can keep your family safe. fountain of youth. the secret weapon so many are using to get the energy and vitality of people half their age. so what is it? and at what cost? and ancient mystery about jesus and a wife. what we learned just today about this tiny explosive document heating up a huge debate.

good evening, 48 days until americans walk into the voting booths of the presidential election. and this was another day on some rough political seas for the romney campaign. more fallout from the sir repetitious tape and more pressure to fix things back. what is the governor doing to fix it tonight? david muir leads us right now. >> reporter: good evening, today mitt romney lost a brand-new argument how he'll help the poor and middle class and he's making that argument inf florida in front of the hispanic block. today in atlanta, mitt romney fighting back after the fallout from the fund-raiser, telling

voters this. >> it's not the question, who cares about the middle class? i do, he does. the question is who can help the middle class. i can, he can't. he's proven it. >> reporter: comes after he told wealthy donor, 47% of americans see themselves as victims. >> they should take personal responsibility. >> reporter: today euchs super g the president -- >> behind these doors mitt romney calls half of the american people -- >> victims behind these doors? middle class families struggle. >> reporter: paul ryan defending him in interviews behind six states. >> the point we're trying to make here, under the obama economy government dependency is up. >> reporter: here in florida we asked voters about the argument.

was it a poor choice of words? probably inarticulate. i'm not oh fended by that. >> reporter: she told me she's still voting for romney and andrew small one of the few voters still undeseeded. >> when you heard it, what was your first reaction? >> reporter: and this senior, maria [ speaking in foreign language ] maria telling me she's not satisfied with his words about latino, words about people waiting for a government handout. also this that recorded video, romney is blunt about needing more la teen nose win. >> and if the hispanic voting bloc becomes as committed to the african-americans as the past, we're in trouble as a party and a think as a nation. >> reporter: just before i came on the air i spoke with a senior adviser who acknowledged their

numbers not where they need to be to win this election come november. they're looking that the as a huge opportunity come tonight, diane. >> thank you, david. we'll be reporting regularly on the power of the hispanic vote. calling it new america kicking off tonight with our partners at univision preparing for a big event. at this moment governor romney facing the first large forum since the controversial remarks. a town hal mel meetings on hispc issue. you can see it right there. top news anchors moderating and minutes before the big event i had a chance to talk to them. so, jorge, it's a high stakes moment in the presidential race not only because this new tape at the fund-raiser. how much of that is on your mind? >> it's definitely on our mind and the mind of the candidate. at the end they know we'll be asking about that 47% and they

know we'll be asking about the hispanic vote. >> it did mention if he were ayla teen know, or mexican, it's possible woe have a better chance of winning. in the latino community, there's some sections that might be they're insulted by it. but the fact is, that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that comment. when you consider that governor romney does have some kind of hispanic dent because his father was born in mexico. but what is important are theish use that affect hispanics, not whether or not there's mexican blood in him or not. >> we seat polls moving somewhat among hispanic voters. do you have new information? >> yes, of course. there's weak polling. and 68% of latinos, as of today support president obama. and 26% support governor romney. with women, the gap is even

wider. only 21% of latinas, support governor romney. he has a lot of work to do not only with the hispanic community in general and specifically latina women. >> to put in context. since ronald reagan. everyone who has 33% of the hispanic vote or more wins the white house. >> makes it more vital to be watching tonight. i know you're right on the moment. >> thank you, bye. >> and you can watch tonight's "meet the candidates" event with mitt romney on univision. it will be broadcast in spanish and streamed live in english on univision's facebook page. president obama appear was them tomorrow night. now damning indictment. in the "fast and furious" program. supposed to track guns in mix o today they cited a pattern of

serious failures for one thing the government lost track of guns it supplied. the report said 14 officials be reviewed for possible disciplinary action and attorney general eric holder should have been briefed more than he was. overseas the explosive protests against the united states, the ones citing that anti-islam film seemed to be waning, but there is a new target in france. a satire cal magazine, mocked the united states. and 22 schools are csed as a precaution against violence at france. now we head to the golf where high stakes car games are under way. the u.s. placed an unmistakable signal to iran.

abc's nick schriffen tells about about it. nic. >> reporter: diane, we're sailing on the nuclear powered uss eisenhower, and we're only about 50 miles from iran. never before has the u.s. flexed so much muscle so close to iran. more jets, ships and nations taking part than ever before. the u.s. has sent two aircraft carriers into this region and each one has more than 40 of these -- these are f-18 fighter jets that could reach thousands of miles into iranian air space. to give you a sense of how big this buildup is, each of these carriers has more firepower than the entire iranian air force. it's a blunt warning to iran, don't follow through on a threat to close the strait of hormuz, where one-fifth of all the world's oil passes. if israel attacks iran's nuclear sites, iran promises to fill these waters with boats packed with explosives and mine the seabed.

the u.s. hopes tensions calm but desirable thinks iran is six months what a from a nuclear weapon. this international show of force is meant to reassure israel and convince iran not to try anything even if it is attacked. >> as you can see, i can do a lot of damage with the airplanes that are onboard, also the weapons that are in the strike group. but also, i can be a stabilizing influence. >> reporter: and after this exercise is over all these troops, all these additional assets will stay in the region. a reminder to iran that the u.s. can act, just a few miles from its shores. diane. nick schifrin reporting tonight. now we turn to a consumer news, a surprise warning about every product ukt in every kitchen. rice. scientists are sounding an alarm as what they call significant and worrisome range of arsenic. from white race to baby food.

jim avila has those details. >> reporter: arietha idrissa has two girls and like many moms a pantry filled with rice products. >> long grain rice, jasmine rice. basmati rice. >> reporter: now consumer reports, urging anybody who eats rice especially children under the age of 5 to cut back. because rice is the number one food source of arsenic in humans. some products containing, the magazine says five times more arsenic than oatmeal. >> you really shouldn't exceed one serving a day of infant rice cereal. >> reporter: consumer reports tested 200 rice products, everything from cereals to drinks, finding arsenic in all many containing what the magazine calls worrisome levels. the fda is conducting an even larger study. >>o far our results are fairly similar. >> reporter: arsenic appears naturally in the soil and water but decades of arsenic-based

fertilizer and pesticides have added more toxic and rice because it is grown in water soaked rice paddles soaks up more arsenic. >> reporter: the rice federation says the world arsenic is more frightening that reality, and there is no direct scientific link between rice and ill health. >> these levels are not high enough to dull any human health problems. >> reporter: the fda fell short of setting any limits today, but the government stopped short today saying there's is no immediate health danger, but reminding parents a varied die set best. as for arietha, she will check with her doctor before feeding her daughter more rice. jim avila abc news washington.

now we want to bring in dr. richard besser. rice? how worried are you? >> you hear the word arsenic. the key question that hasn't been answered yet is how risky is it to your health. we'll not know that until the fda study is done next year. we're exposed to arsenic through the food we eat. the key question is, is this level risky? >> what do you do to minimize the risk if it nobody knows for sure what it means long term? >> i don't think you give up rice. rice, bilkly brown rice is a great source of nutrition. when air cooking rice watch the rice before you cook it. watch it in the calendar until the water runses clear. cook the rice with extra water. six times more water than you have rice in there. if you do those two thing, consumer said that will reduce by 30% the amount arsenic you

take in.

and now we take a look into a kind of secret society. baby boomers ready to do whatever it takes to stay young. since 2006 prescriptions of testosterone have doublinged since 2006. and they're expected to triple again in the next 5 years. abc's neal karlinsky tells us who is doing this and at what risk. >> reporter: they are a mountain of baby boomers. >> it feels like i got my mojo back. >> i think every guy over 50 should be doing it. >> reporter: putting co-workers on notice. >> i mean honestly, i like looking at myself in the mirror. i look freaking awesome! >> reporter: he says the secret is testosterone -- which 57-year-old ceo chris running showed us as if it was no different than a glass of orange juice. >> reporter: so that's it? twice a week? >> yeah. >> our generation is trying to stay as young as we can for as long as we can. >> reporter: you see it in those

ads --appealing to the 70 million boomer men unwilling to fade quietly into old age. >> reporter: a boost of testosterone, long the illegal drug of choice in sports is being touted as a virtual fountain of youth. and just a prescription away. >> i've gone from a 38 waist, relaxed fit jean to a 34 slim waist fit. >> reporter: in the three years he's been taking "t," chris says he has transformed himself into a younger man. two hours more work per day, 30 pounds of fat, gone. and muscles. bulging muscles, more impressive than anything he had in his 20s. you notice the physical change too? he talked about 30 pounds? muscle? >> he looks great, he's in great shape. it's been a very positive change. >> reporter: we wondered, can it really be that simple? dr. karron power says, "yes." >> and i hear a lot of men come in and talk about the young guys coming in and that they feel the challenge.

>> reporter: is that cheating? >> if your levels are low and they bring you back to a normal level, or an optimal level, then aren't i just leveling the playing field? >> reporter: so, what is normal for what age? the average 20-year-old's testosterone levels can reach as high as 1080, but as you age, the levels drop without drugs. by age 60, the average is only 720. so, is it right to pump testosterone up to the levels of a much younger man -- a level that in many cases more than doubles a man's testosterone? not so fast says dr. edmund sabanegh, an expert in testosterone at the prestigious cleveland clinic. he's worried about the wave of boomer men using "t" as a "fountain of youth." to stay artificially young. >> right now, we don't have guidance in the medical research that suggests it's safe to stay on those levels. >> reporter: and there are serious possible side effects

too. testosterone has been linked to blood clots, liver damage, and -- some think you could be playing russian roulette with prostate cancer. "the new england journal of medicine" warns that only about two percent of men over 40 should be getting boost at all. chris running and the growing number of boomers just like him aren't worried. bottom line, you're sold? >> i'm absolutely sold. i will never not do this. >> reporter: risky or not, he says slowing down so the next generation can move up -- is not an option. and coming up right here on "world news," close encounters in the animal kingdom. two giant gorillas, one tiny caterpillar? find out what happens next. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away.

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centrum. always your most complete. it is called the earth's air conditioner, the polar ice cap in the north. today we received more evidence that it's disappearing at a record rate. shrinking to the lowest level since they started keeping records in 1989. since march, a size of canada and texas combine sd now gone. as one expert put it, we're in unchartered territory. here it is again from satellite imagery and the warming that you see could mean more extreme weather, including a particularly ferocious winter, the scientists say in the northern plains and northeast of the united states. and we were struck tonight by new celebrities everyone sending this one to their friends. absolutely fascinated they were

by a tiny, tiny caterpillar and here they are. two endangered gorilla with a guest in their cage in canada. there it goes crawling up their barrier. there they are studying it. so close they almost kissed it. another one nudging in, rushing back to keep the view all to themselves. it's a kind of love, all requited. coming up the professor why she thinks this tiny explosive document is a clue in an ancient debate? did jesus have a wife? i have a cold, and i took nyquil,

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from the brand doctors recommend most by name. preparation h totables. the anywhere preparation h. finally tonight, it's an article of faith in modern christianity. that jesus never married and spent his 33 years as a man whose family was the world. and yet, there have always been question about the possibility that he had a wife. it's the centerpiece of the da vinci code. tonight dan harris talks to the woman who thinks she found a missing clue. >> reporter: it's a tiny faded fragment -- with eight lines of ancient script on one side and

six lines on the other. >> the most exciting line in the whole fragment is the sentence "jesus said to them" -- to his disciples that is -- "jesus said to them, 'my wife --'" >> reporter: "my wife." words never before seen in any christian scripture. this scrap of pa pypyrus was gi by an anonymous selecollector to karen king -- a professor at harvard divinity school in 2011. king then put this potentially blockbuster piece of evidence in her red handbag. and brought it down to experts in new york city, as seen in this upcoming smithsonian documentary. >> ts is very important. here you can see what looks to be in english like an "l" and a "c," with just a little bit of a line over them. this is a shortened form of the name jesus. is. >> reporter: ultimately concluded it is real, although some experts say they disagree. even though everybody agrees the text was not written until centuries after jesus died. >> what this does not mean is that jesus had a wife. it's not evidence for us historically that jesus had a wife.

>> mag magdellin was jesus' wife. so don't consider it a vindication of the "da vinci code," which argued that the famous "last supper" painting shows mary magdalene seated at the right hand of jesus -- a sign that she was his wife. all this fragment may prove is that even the early christians were debating this issue. so emotional because if jesus was married it would force us to rethink one of the most talked about men in history. thank you for joining us. we'll see you again tomorrow night. good night. anncr: a good job. it's the key to a good life.

but it isn't always easy to find one... a vote for question seven is a vote for maryland jobs. two thousand construction jobs to build a new resort casino. four thousand permanent jobs, paying... onon average fifty five thousana year. six thousand jobs from increased tourism... and table games like blackjack and poker. add it up: it's twelve thousand new maryland jobs.